


Two Birds

by An-Elric-Brother (sheronthekitty)



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: AU, Dragon!hiccup, Gen, Violence, non-major character deaths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-01-17 22:22:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12375351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheronthekitty/pseuds/An-Elric-Brother
Summary: Hiccup is only 3 months old when he is taken by the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death itself. When rumors of Two Night Furies arise, tensions spike. The first is older, with glossy black scales and acid-green eyes. The other is younger, with scales the color of the trees, eyes the color of leaves. They work together, like they're a part of each other. And they never miss.(Small edit; I renamed the story. It's not longer "Let the Wind Carry Us." I also made a cover! https://sta.sh/026mvdeg8ivp )





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First thing's first,  
> The names the dragons call themselves, Hiccup's dragon design, and the dragons having Magic are Rift-Raft's ideas. You should read their story, I Hear Him Scream, it's so fucking good! I did get their permission to use these ideas!

_The unmistakable scream of the Shadow-Blender charging it’s fire blast rang throughout the night, ringing over the noise of fighting Vikings. Someone screamed, “Night Fury!” and everyone ducked as a white-blue bolt of fire blasted through the sky, exploding against a catapult. It burst through the wood, causing the entire structure to collapse, and everything not in tiny pieces burned as they fell to the ground below. The only thing visible of the famed monster was it’s black silhouette, blocking out the stars. It dashed away with its unrivaled speed, using the warm updrafts from the fire to its advantage._

 

_It rose above the roar of the fight, higher and higher, it’s venom-green eyes scanning the island. It kept an eye out on its fellow dragons, making sure none were in too deep, and lending a fire blast when needed. Its eyes caught a group of Yearlings who were surrounded by a larger group of Vikings. With a snarl, the Shadow-Blender dove, wings tucking against its body as it charged another blast. It shot the bolt into the largest group of Vikings, knocking them away, and it roared, telling the Yearlings to flee. They rose, dashing away on Magic-fueled wings, and called back a thanks to the Shadow-Blender._

 

_As it curved away, a small cry caught it’s ears, and it glanced around, seeing a Wood-Nest on the top of a hill on fire. Something drew the black dragon towards it, and it landed on the roof, glancing around once more before entering the wooden structure through a flaming hole. It landed on the ground with a quiet thump, and it’s keen eyes spotted a strange bed, the cries coming from it. The Shadow-Blender crept towards it, pupils wide in curiosity, and it glanced into the bed, seeing a Viking-Hatchling nestled in a bunch of furs. The Viking-Hatchling met the eyes of the Dragon and cooed, holding out one of its strange paws, and the Shadow-Blender reached out and let the Viking-Hatchling grab one of its claws. It crooned, bringing its face closer and sniffed the Viking-Hatchling, cocking its head._

 

 _The sound of a quiet gasp and something caught it’s attention, and turned its head and stared at a Viking Female, who was pressed against the wall, a hand against her mouth to stifle any other noises. It raised an eyebrow, but decided that since she was unarmed and not making any moves towards him that she wasn’t a threat, yet, and turned its attention back to the Viking-Hatchling. Suddenly the entrance to the Wood-Nest slammed open, and a huge Viking charged in, a Long-Claw in its hand. The Shadow-Blender jumped, nicking the Viking-Hatchling’s face, and hissed, pupils narrowing into slits._   
_  
_ _It glanced at the Viking-Hatchling, then back at the two grown Vikings, and made a stupid decision. It grabbed the Viking-Hatchling in it’s mouth, teeth half-out, and took off through the hole in the roof. It gently dropped the Viking-Hatchling into it’s claws before calling out the ‘Retreat’ call, and waiting in the clouds for the rest of the Flare. The Viking-Hatchling was nestled against its chest, apparently asleep, or at least quiet. Soon, the majority of the Flare had joined him, the only ones not there lost in the battle. “_ Everyone Ready?” It asked. The rest of the dragons nodded and called their agreements, and the Shadow-Blender turned and started towards the Nest, the rest of the Flare falling in their places behind him.

 

 _The only noise was their wingbeats in the air, none of them speaking. They soon made it to the nest, and they dove, entering the stone mountain. The Shadow-Blender let the others give their offerings to Her while he settled on a ledge, watching them. He laid the bundle at its feet, glad it was still silent._   
  
_Suddenly a Little-Biter landed beside him, bowing. “_ Shadow-Blender _?”_   
  
_“_ What is it, Little-Biter _?” He asked, glancing at the small dragon._   
  
_“_ The Queen wants to see you _,” she said, bowing. The Shadow-Blender nodded and stood up, but paused when the Little-Biter continued speaking. “_ She says to bring _that_ with you _,” she mumbled, pointing her nose at the bundle._   


_The Shadow-Blender narrowed his eyes, but nodded again, gathering up the Viking-Hatchling and taking off, gliding down into the red fog, landing on a small clearing, placing the bundle between his feet. “_ You wanted to see me _?”_   
_  
_ The Queen’s massive head rose from the bubbling lava, the molten rock streaming down Her scales. “You brought a Viking into the nest,” She hissed, eyes narrowing. The Shadow-Blender bowed, low, belly against the ground, and opened his mouth but She cut him off. “You know how dangerous that is.”

 

 _“_ I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me _,” he mumbled, not meeting Her eyes._

 

_She laughed, but it wasn’t a kind one. She brought Her head closer, and sniffed at the Viking-Hatchling. “I can change this.”_

 

 _The Shadow-Blender cocked his head, “_ How _?”_

 

_She laughed again, this one kinder than the first. “By changing him into a dragon, of course!” She brought Her head closer, and pressed her forehead against the bundle, closing her eyes. The Viking-Hatchling let out a pained screech, causing the Shadow-Blender to flinch and cover his ears. As soon as it started, the scream quieted, and the Queen pulled Her head away, bringing some of the furs with Her._

  
_A brown figure was curled up in a ball, wings pressed tightly against its back and tail over its nose. The Shadow-Blender crept closer, and reared back in surprise when he realized it was another Shadow-Blender! This one was brown instead of his glossy black scales, and had lighter brown spots scattered across its face, ear plates, and shoulders. “He is your responsibility,” The Queen murmured, nodding once to signal he could go._   
_  
He picked up the bundle in his mouth by its scruff, and raised his wings to leave. He looked at the Queen, nodded “thank you” at Her, and lifted into the air, using the thermals from the lava to rise easily. The Queen’s head disappeared into the fog, and he turned away, to his cave and landed, curling around the baby Shadow-Blender. _


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna tell you guys the update schedule:  
> After today, the story will be updated Bi-monthly, aka every other week. The updates will be Saturday.
> 
>  
> 
> Minor violence in this chapter.

Warm air from the burning village filled his wings, allowing the brown Shadow-Blender to rise easily into the depths of the sky. His keen eyes scanned the ground below, lending a claw where needed. He dashed and dodged over his half of the island, blowing up catapults and watch towers, blasting any Viking that got to close to a flock-member with its back turned. As the brown Shadow-Blender flipped and made another fly-by, his forest-green eyes saw his brother, black form nearly invisible against the moonless night sky. He called out a short greeting, banking, and swooped closer to fall in next to the other Shadow-Blender.   
  


“Toothless,” he called happily, tail waving slightly in the air. The other looked over at him and gave him a toothless grin, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

 

“Nice shooting out there. Your aim is almost as good as mine,” he purred, teasingly. Toothless’ acid-green eyes shone in the flickering fire-light from below them, his scales stained orange-red-yellow as they flew another lap over the island.

 

The brown Shadow-Blender opened his mouth to speak when a cry filled the night. Forest and acid-green eyes met, and with an unspoken agreement, they both banked, mouths filling with gas. They dove, interwinding around each other, and their dual screams made the Vikings below them shudder and silence. They both blasted at the same time, fire-blasts combining into one, their aim true. As the blast hit a cluster of vikings who had a Two-Walker pinned, they both turned away, Toothless left, him right, and swooped past the destruction, hearing the relieved chirp the Two-Walker called after them. 

 

They rose, dashing between a Two-Neck and a Flame-Skin who were carrying a net full of fish between them, and stopped, hovering as they examined their Flare. It seemed like most of the Flare had their claws full of prey. Without the use of words, they both knew what the other was thinking. Time to call the retreat and head back to the Nest. The sun would rise soon, anyway, so they best get going.

 

The dual Shadow-Blenders opened their mouths and screamed, “Flare! To us! Time to leave!” The dragons all raised their heads, either calling their agreements, or, if their mouths were full, nodding, rising up to meet the Shadow-Blenders. No-one had been lost that night, though the Two-Walker from before had a nasty gash on her neck, blood running steady rivers down her chest and staining her scales red. One of the Elders had a small hole in her wing- they could tell without needing to look- the wing flowing through it with a whistle. The Shadow-Blenders waited a moment, then took off, the younger falling in his place slightly behind Toothless, the elder behind him. The rest of the flare soon fell into their places, and they made their way back to the nest, back to Her, to give their offerings and rest.

 

As they grew closer, they let those who were hurt more than just a couple scrapes go before them, before the two entered the Nest, weaving through the numerous tunnels that lead to the main cave. The Shadow-Blenders watched as their Flare dropped the offerings into the chasm in the center that lead to Her, before they swooped to their shared cave. Toothless landed first, trotting over to their shared nest, and he smiled at the brown dragon, who also padded over to the nest. 

 

“I’m so  _ tired _ ,” the brown Shadow-Blender complained, flopping onto his side and covering his face with his wing. “I don’t want to move ever again.”

 

“Stop being dramatic, Hiccup,” Toothless scoffed, settling down next to his brother.

 

Hiccup laughed, before rising onto his front paws and rubbing his cheek against Toothless’ with a purr full of love and adoration. Toothless returned the favor, and the two curled up against each other. Their combined purring lulled Hiccup into a almost-sleep, and he drowsily smiled up at Toothless, who laid his head on top of Hiccup’s.

 

“Sleep, dummy.”

 

Hiccup hummed something, but his hum was quickly cut off as his exhaustion caught up to him.

 

\--

Another night, another flare. This one was supposed to be simple: scout  _ these _ islands, do not engage, do not steal. And it had been going so well, too! Until…

 

Until a young, arrogant Flame-Skin decided to show off, broke from the formation and was  _ seen _ . Instantly shouts from the village below them sprouted up, yelling “Dragon Raid!” Toothless rolled his eyes, and roared, “Idiot! Get back in the formation.”

 

The Yearling started to rise, but a net was thrown, and his wings got tangled, and he plummeted. His friend, a Hum-Wing, dropped to free him, and that’s when chaos broke loose.

 

Now, they were fighting for their lives, trying to get away, to get back  _ home _ . Hiccup dodged a wayward arrow, filtering gas into the back of his throat. “Come on, give me something to shoot at, gimme something to shoot at.” His eyes dashed around, resting on a tall, wooden structure a bunch of Vikings we’re on, using the height to their advantage. He pumped his wings, streaming forward, and prepared to fire--

 

Something slammed into him, hard, wrapping itself around his body, pinning his wings and tail at awkward, painful angles, and he fell, his captured body unable to spread its wings to slow the descent. He saw Toothless had seen  _ him _ , and was now racing towards his falling body.

 

“Toothless, No!” He screeched with all the air in his lungs. “Don’t come after me! You’ll be captured too! Don’t--” His sentence was cut off when his body  _ slammed _ into the ground, kicking up dirt and rocks as he skid painfully to a stop. He struggled to get his feet under him, but the  _ thing _ was still attached to him, binding him and leaving him unable to flee. Vikings surrounded him, afraid to get close, but clearly curious.

 

“What in Thor’s bloody name is  _ that _ ,” he heard a Viking shout, probably pointing at his prone body. He ignored them, catching Toothless’ worried eyes and shaking his head, crooning a quiet, “No.”

 

Toothless looked away, his teeth clenched, and Hiccup’s ear-plates lowered is sadness and fear. “Flare! To me! Retreat!!” He screamed, glancing back at Hiccup. “I’m sorry, brother. I’ll come back for you.” He took off, the rest of the flare following.

 

His attention was brought painfully back to the Vikings as something pressed into his throat, digging into the softer scales. He snarled, all his teeth bared, and stared into the person holding the sword to his throat. The Viking was huge, easily towering over him, even if Hiccup were standing and not on the ground, with red hair, and green eyes. If Hiccup was any less smart, he would’ve already blasted the Viking to oblivion, but he was surrounded, and any wrong move would surely mean his untimely death at their hands.

 

His eyes never left the Viking’s. “Night Fury,” he breathed, and Hiccup felt every eye on him again, panicked whispers cropping up around him. “We have finally captured you,  _ beast _ .” Hiccup snarled, teeth bared again, but the Viking didn’t flinch.

 

“What should we do with him, Chief?” Ahh, so this Viking was their King.

 

“Are ye go’ing tae kill ‘im, Stoick?” Another voice asked, a one-legged, one-handed Viking limping up to the Chief-to  _ Stoick _ .

 

“No. Take him to the Kill Ring.” Objections and yells rang out, mainly consisting of  _ are you crazy? _ , and  _ I don’t want to touch it. _ “Quiet!” Stoick screamed, and Hiccup curled his lip, still growling. “To. The. Kill. Ring.” the Viking shouted again, and the others scrambled to do as he said, not wanting to be on the wrong side of his anger. The Chief’s eyes met Hiccups, whose own eyes had never left him, and he growled, “I’ll see you later, beast.”

 

“Gladly,” Hiccup snarled, snapping his teeth and making a point to look away.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a liar. The update was supposed to be this Saturday, but I was excited for this chapter so I'm posting it early! The next chapter will be posted November 4th!
> 
> There is cursing in this chapter, so if that isn't your cup of tea, then I wouldn't read from here on out.

Astrid swiped loose strands of hair out of her face as she made her way to the kill ring. She wouldn’t lie, she was curious, she had heard the rumors. Their chief had caught a  _ Night Fury _ , of all things. That wasn’t why she was heading there, however. As the next-in-line to be chief, she needed to be at Stoick’s (and Valka’s, if she was being truthful) side when he announced what they were going to be doing with the beast.

 

Her feet followed the familiar trail, and she ducked, dodged, and weaved between, through, and under the mass of Vikings making  _ their _ ways to the ring, too. She heard someone call her name, but she ignored them, hoping she could lose them in the crowd. Luck, as it seemed, wasn’t on her side, however, and Snotlout appeared beside her.

 

“Hey babe, where you going in such a hurry?” He asked, falling in step next to Astrid.

 

She rolled her eyes, and with a disgusted huff, she muttered, “I have important things to do, unlike  _ someone. _ ”

 

Snotlout either didn’t understand the barb was pointed at him, or chose to ignore it, because he just laughed. “You are so right, Astrid, as you always are. That’s why you’re training to be chief.” Astrid cringed a little inwardly, she had pretty much stolen the 

 

cheifdom right from under his nose. Since he was the only living relative to Stoick, being the Chief’s brother’s son, it was clear from early on he wasn’t, how should she put this,  _ smart _ enough to be chief. He was friends with the  _ Thorston Twins _ , for Odin’s sake, and nothing they did ever turned out well.

 

Snotlout had kept talking, oblivious to the fact that Astrid wasn’t listening, as they made their way through the crowd. The duo was almost there when yet  _ another _ voice called out for her.   
  
“What, Tuffnut,” She hissed, turning on her heel and placing her hands on her hips, giving the male twin a cold stare. “You do not have permission to destroy stuff while this is going on, or so help me, you  _ all _ -” she sent a pointed look at Ruffnut, who had been right behind her brother, and Snotlout, “-are being thrown in the pit.”

 

“Who said we were going to do that?” Tuffnut cried, having the gall to look offended as his sister laughed. Astrid raised an eyebrow, and Tuffnut countered, “If you’re talking about the time we accidentally sent a hoard of boars stampeding through the village, that was totally not my fault. It was Ruff’s.”

  
“Hey, shit-for-brains. It was your idea to try and light them on fire.”

 

“You’re the one who  _ did _ it!”

 

Astrid tuned out their bickering when they dragged Snotlout into in, and she continued to make her way through the crowd, finally,  _ finally _ , making it to the ring without anymore interruptions. She jogged up to Stoick’s side, who sent her a slightly confused look at her clearly  _ pissed _ expression. “The twins,” is all she said, and she saw the understanding light up in his eyes.

 

Astrid glanced around his hulking form, spotting Valka at his side. She didn’t look to happy, either, but instead of being angry, she looked almost scared. Why, Astrid didn’t know, but she sent her a reassuring smile when their eyes met. Valka returned the gesture, albeit slightly hesitantly.

 

“Alright, alright, I bet you’re wondering why we’re holding the meeting  _ here _ instead of in the Mead Hall,” Stoick’s voice rang out, silencing the crowd. Someone called, “it’s because of the Night Fury!” and Stoick rolled his eyes. “Damn smart-asses don’t know when I’m asking a rhetorical question,” he groaned, before raising his voice. “ _ Yes _ , it’s because of the Night Fury.”

 

\--

 

Toothless’ wings beat as fast as they could go, he didn’t care that he was leaving the rest of the Flare behind, he needed to get back to the nest,  _ now _ . He dove into the mist, wings folding against his body, and he dashed around the rock stacks that made the flight treacherous to untrained fliers. He sped through one of the many tunnels and burst forth into the main cave, not stopping before he dove down into the pit and landed before the Queen.

 

“ _ Shadow-Blender _ ,” the Queen stated, confusion lacing her voice. Her head rose from the molten lava, and she blinked all six of her eyes, “ _ what brings you here in such a hurry? Where’s the other Shadow-Blender? _ ”

 

Toothless’ claws plucked at the ground and he moaned. “He was taken. By the Vikings,” he spat, tail lashing.

 

“ _ I am sorry for your loss. _ ”

 

“We need to do something. I can’t leave him there, I can’t lose him-”

 

The Queen cut him off, “ _ You know there’s nothing we can do if he’s been killed. I may be powerful, but I cannot bring one back from the dead, _ ” she sighed, lowering her head.

 

“NO! He’s  _ not _ dead. I know that. He was just captured. He’s probably fine, but he’s all alone, and I just  _ left _ him there,” Toothless panicked, starting to pace on the rock. “I can do something. I can get him out. I’ll take the fastest fliers, the smartest, and I’ll--”

 

“ _ We cannot lose you, too, Shadow-Blender. I’m not sure if this is a good idea- _ ”

 

“I can do it! I can get him back.  _ Please _ , I beg you to allow me to do this.” Toothless shook his head, eyes screwed shut. He growled, hunching his shoulders. “I’ll make those thrice-damned Vikings pay for any pain they cause him, I’ll rip the arms off any  _ damned _ Viking who dared to touch him.”

 

He opened his eyes to see the Queen giving him a strange look he couldn’t place, but she sighed and bowed her head. “ _ Very well, in three cycles of the sun, you may take a small flare out and try to rescue him. You have until sunrise that night to get him back. If you fail, I’m afraid I cannot let you try again and risk the life of our nest. _ ”

 

Toothless bowed, lowering his his front half down so it was touching the ground, and spreading his wings out. “I will not let you down.” He then sprung into the air, passing the flare who gave him a worried look, but thankfully they didn’t ask what was wrong. He hovered as they dropped their food into the pit, and then called, “I need a small flare for a mission in three days time!”

 

He landed and instantly a large group of dragons surrounded him, asking questions all at once, but he cut above the noise, saying, “I need the fastest fliers, and the most silent. I’m sorry, but for this one, I won’t be accepting anyone under 3 Years old!” A large chunk of the group split apart, and he heard upset grumbles from Yearlings, and understanding murmurs from those slightly older.

 

He picked five dragons, a Two-Walker, a Flame-Wing, an elder Two-Neck, and a Little-Biter. Once the rest of the group faded, and only those six remained, he explained the mission, and they all nodded, understanding his need to do this. “Thank you. You can spend this time getting ready. I’ll meet you all at the North Edge of the island when the time comes,” he dismissed, dropping down and entering his shared cave, which was empty without Hiccup. He curled up in a little ball, alone in their bed, and he allowed the grief to wash over him, and with a pained croon, he covered his face with his paws and wept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you liked it! I tried my hand at writing Astrid, though I'm not too sure how well I did.   
> Toothless is extremely upset by this, but, of course, he doesn't grieve until he is alone, but at least he's allowing himself to.  
> I wonder how Hiccup is holding up? I wonder what Stoick decided.  
> You'll have to wait until next time!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to scrap the update schedule that I never did and just update every week.That means if I write two chapters in a week, then one of the chapters will be posted, and the other saved for the next week.
> 
> This week will be a double update this week in spirit of my favorite holiday, Halloween! Keep an eye out for the next chapter soon!

Hiccup’s head was pounding something awful, and his entire body hurt. Had he fallen? Why? He felt stone underneath of him, but it wasn’t the warm stone of the Nest. It was cold and damp. Where was he? Hiccup forced his forest-green eyes open, and the first thing he noticed it was dark. Unnaturally so. Was he in a cave? Where was Toothless. Hiccup couldn’t smell his brother, in fact, all he could smell was the briny scent of the rock.

 

He tried to stand and his muscles screamed, and that’s when the memories slammed into him. He had been captured! He was in a cage, alone, on a Viking island. Hiccup hunched his back, bringing his wings in close to him, and he whined. He was  _ alone _ . Toothless had escaped, thank the Dragoness of the Moon. He had to escape, but how?

 

Hiccup rose to his paws again, this time starting to pace to loosen his protesting muscles. His head still swam, and he could feel dried blood against his temple. The Viking king- _ chief _ \- had hit him with a hammer, and Hiccup could still feel the affects of the blow. His ears were ringing apparently, as with a rushing pop, a mass of sounds filled his head.

 

He could hear a Flame-Skin to his direct left, who sounded angry. He could hear the large dragon grumbling to himself and heard the click-click-click of his wing-claws on the stone. Just past the Flame-Skin, there was a Two-Walker chirping to herself nervously, singing some strange song. After that, he couldn’t hear any other dragons, though he knew the cages were occupied from the night before.

 

From outside his cage, he heard the roaring of a mass of Vikings, many voices shouting and blending into one. One voice rose above the rest-still muffled however-and seemingly silenced the other voices. Hiccup cautiously crept to the door sideways, back arched, and pressed an earflap against the wood. 

 

“Alright, alright, I bet you’re wondering why we’re holding the meeting here instead of the Mead Hall,” what was a  _ Mead Hall? _ Was it like the main cave of the Nest? Did the King- no Chief- Viking live there and the rest brought him offerings too?, Hiccup thought. He missed part of the next sentence, but he heard “Night Fury.”

 

“What in the Dragon of the Sun is a _Night_ _Fury_? Is it a type of weather?” He wondered outloud. He heard the Flame-Skin next to him laugh.

 

“It’s what they call Shadow-Blenders,” the dragon barked, sarcasm lacing his voice. “Damn Vikings either don’t know our true species names or just don’t care. They name us Flame-Skins “Monstrous Nightmares” for the Queen’s sake.”

 

“That’s what they call us?  _ Night Furies _ ?” Hiccup shouted, shaking his head. “That’s a stupid name if I’ve ever heard one.”

 

“Woah-woah-woah- _ wait _ , you’re saying you’re a Shadow-Blender? The black one or the brown one?” The dragon next to him asked.

 

“The brown one.”

 

“ _ Hiccup?  _ How in the Dragoness of the Moon did  _ you _ get captured?” He heard the panicked screech of the Two-Walker from two cages over.

 

Hiccup tuned them out, and he pressed his head against the door again. He heard the trailing end of a sentence, “-do with it,” before the crowd started shouting. “QUIET!” The Chief called, again silencing them.

 

“Shadow-Blender,” the Flame-Skin called, but Hiccup shushed him.

 

“I know, I know. Some of you want to kill it now,” Hiccup flinched, “and some want to study the beast, see if it has any weaknesses that we can exploit. We’ll put it to a vote. Raise your hands if you want to kill it now.” There was silence, which Hiccup assumed people were raising their paws, and the Chief counting. “If you want to study it?” Again, silence, this one slightly longer than the other.

 

“That settles it. We’ll keep the beast alive-” shouts of outrage and disbelief, before the Chief yelled out, “FOR NOW! We’ll find it’s weaknesses, train a little, and then we’ll kill it.” With that, he heard the footsteps of the king, thunderous, as well as two other, lighter footsteps. Everyone else dispersed, and he heard a Viking-Female’s voice, right above him.

 

“But, Stoick, we don’t have to kill it! We can use it to, oh, I don’t know, train new generations of Vikings!”

 

“Valka, not now,” he heard the Chief sigh.

 

“But,  _ Stoick- _ ”

 

“Not. Now. You know I love you, but we have to put the protection of our village  _ first _ .” The footsteps faded away, and Hiccup pressed his forehead against the door with a groan.

 

“Well, at least I’ll live for a little longer, but who knows when they’ll decide they’ve learned enough from me and then boom. Da da da, I’m dead.” His tail twitched and he lumbered away from the door, settling down in the corner.

 

A thought occurred to him, and he turned to the cage next to him. “Hey, Flame-Skin.” The dragon grumbled but didn’t answer, and Hiccup rolled his eyes. His neighbor was clearly upset about being silenced. Baby. “Look, I’m sorry about quieting you, but I needed to know my fate.”

 

A huff. And then, “whatever. It’s fine.”

 

Hiccup held back a laugh, instead asking. “Have any of you tried to escape?”

 

“Yes. The doors are reinforced with metal, so our flames won’t do damage to them. The ring is covered with strong chains, blocking any way out, and the only doors are always guarded by Vikings when we’re let out,” The Flame-Skin answered. “... though.”

 

“Hm?” Hiccup hummed curiously.

 

“We haven’t had a Shadow-Blender. All dragons know your fire is stronger than ours. Maybe you can get out. Tell the Queen we’re here and help us escape.”

 

Hiccup’s ears lowered and his eyes narrowed. “There is no way I am leaving you here. If I escape, we all escape.”

 

“They only let us out one at a time,” the Two-Walker chirped sadly. Even if you were able to make a way for us to get out, they wouldn’t  _ let _ us out of the cages until it was fixed. Shadow-Blender,  _ you _ have to escape for all of us.”

 

“No! How are the doors to our cages kept closed. If it’s a stone, it can be broken from the outside.”

 

“...more chains. They have this, system, that connects the chains to a thick log, which holds the doors closed.” The Flame-Skin supplied.

 

Hiccup thought, and thought. If it weren’t for the sounds of his pacing and quiet talking to himself, the two other dragons who could hear him would’ve thought him asleep. And then, an idea. “That’s it!”

 

“What? What’s it?” The Two-Walker asked as the Flame-Skin called, “You have a plan?”

 

Hiccup nodded, and then felt his scales heat up when he realized they couldn’t see him. “Yeah. You said these ‘chains’ are what’s keeping us here, right?”

 

“That’s right?”

 

“If we somehow destroy both the chains enclosing the ring, and the ones keeping our doors closed, we can all get out. I’ll have to see how the doors look from the outside, first, and I’ll have to work on it, so we won’t be free all at once, but I’ll let all of you know when we’re free.” Hiccup nodded to himself. This plan was insane, but it just might work. If the Gods’ were on their sides.

 

“Sound’s like a plan,” the Flame-Skin agreed.

 

“Two-Walker!” Hiccup called, moving closer to the wall.

 

“Yes?”

 

“What are the other dragons trapped?”

 

“Well, next to me is a Hum-Wing. Hold on, let me ask. Hum-Wing!” A response Hiccup couldn’t hear, “Who’s next to you?” A pause. “Next to them?” Another pause. “Anyone else?” Her voice turned towards Hiccup, and she replied, “There’s a Hum-Wing next to me, a Two-Neck next to her, and a Little-Biter at the end. The last cage is empty.”

 

“Thank you, Two-Walker! And you, too, Flame-Skin.”

 

“Always at your service,” the Two-Walker chirped.

 

“My pleasure,” the Flame-Skin growled.

 

Now it was time to set the first phase of the plan, the recon, in motion.

 

\--

 

The next morning, Hiccup heard movement from outside his cage. He perked his ear-flaps, listening, but no one spoke. Suddenly, he heard the grinding of metal, and the doors started to crack open. He backed into the corner, and called on his magic, making him blend into the shadows, all but disappearing. He narrowed his eyes into slits, and held in a growl as a Viking-Female stood with her hands on her hips and eyes cold.

 

Her blue eyes scanned the cage, passing right over him, and she scoffed, lip curling in disgust. “I know you’re in there, monster, come out and I won’t kill you right here and now.” Hiccup, still in the shadows, stalked forward, one paw at a time, eyes locked on the Viking-Female. He suddenly burst forth from the cage, snapping his wings open and he shot over the Viking with an ear-rattling roar. 

 

He saw her flinch and pale, the scent of fear coming off her in waves, but to her credit, she held her ground. He alighted on the ground and she whirled around, holding her double-bladed axe out in front of her. He lowered himself in a crouch and hissed, baring all his teeth. His tail lashed, pupils mere scratches in his green eyes, and his claws raked the ground.

 

She took a step forward, weapon still brandished, and he roared again, stomping his feet. She stopped, but didn’t look scared. Only mildly annoyed. He flared his nostrils, building the gas in the back of his throat. He roared one final time, showing off the gas, before firing at her before his flame could make a sound.

 

She dodged it nimbly, though not quick enough. The bolt of flame grazed her arm and caught her hair, burning the blonde braid, but she tucked into a roll and bounced back on her feet in an instant, this time with a shield in hand.

 

Hiccup couldn’t stop himself from raising an eyebrow, mildly impressed. But he was a Shadow-Blender. He wouldn’t be outdone by one measly Viking. He bunched his muscles and leapt at her, claws outstretched. She dodged again, but he swung his tail under him and turned sharply in midair, catching her in the back and sending her flying.

 

She tucked into another roll, again getting back on her feet. Hiccup landed on the ground, giving her a smug look. This made her face turn red, whether in anger or embarrassment he didn’t know, and she screamed, hoisting her axe over her head.

 

She charged at him, and he took to the air as high as he could, his wing-tips just brushing the chains over the top. This reminded him, and while he was relatively safe from any attacks, he let his eyes scan over the cages. He saw the contraptions that held the doors closed, held together with chain, and he let his eyes wander up. The chains looped through a hole at the top of the ring, and attached to the doors precariously. He knew if he somehow destroyed that, the entire system would fall apart and they’d be free. But how?

 

Astrid slung her favorite axe over her shoulder, fixing her light armour around her shoulders, and made sure her shoes were tied tightly before she threw open the door to her house. Stoick had given her, as one of the best fighters, and probably the smartest, in Berk, the job of fighting the Night Fury. She new it was dangerous, and she wouldn’t be alone, Snotlout would be by the entrance to fling it open if she needed to escape. While Astrid wouldn’t trust him to carry a basket of fish from one house to another without breaking, losing, or stealing something, she did trust him with her life.

 

He was a formidable fighter, strong and, surprisingly, light on his feet. He knew when a dragon would strike with fire or claws, and knew the best spots to strike. Astrid knew this, and this is why she had chosen him to aid her. She also knew since this was a dangerous job, he’d keep the flirting to a minimum. She could deal with that.

 

Her braid swished across her back as she walked through the village. It was early morning, and only a couple of people were out. She raised her hand in greeting to everyone she passed, stopping to talk to a couple of people about a problem they had had a couple of sunrises ago. She made it to Snotlout’s house and found him waiting by his door, numerous swords strapped to his hips and his bear-skin cloak around his shoulders.

 

She raised an eyebrow, and laughed, albeit a bit nervously, “you know this isn’t a war, right? We’re not fighting other Vikings, we’re fighting a beast. I’d keep the cloak at home.” Snotlout stroked his chin, then nodded, letting it fall of his shoulders and into his arms. He folded it neatly and stepped inside, before re-exiting. “Ready?” Astrid asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

They walked in silence to the kill ring, with Astrid taking the lead. It must’ve been the expression on her face, though she tried to keep it indifferent, that made people only give her nods and winces. It wasn’t until Snotlout tapped her on the shoulder, mumbling “You look like you’re about to murder an entire village.”

 

Astrid sighed through her nose and forced her face to relax into a- hopefully- more neutral expression. As they moved closer to the ring, Astrid’s heart, to her mortification, sped up, and she felt her palms start to sweat. She clenched her fists, fingernails digging into her flesh, willing her heart to settle back in her chest from its place somewhere in her throat.

 

The two stopped before the door to the ring and Astrid took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, before pulling out her two-bladed axe and spinning it once in her hand. “I’m ready,” She whispered, striding forward with a false confidence.

 

“I believe in you, Astrid,” Snoutlout smiled, shutting the gate and resting against the wall, although Astrid could tell he was ready to spring at any moment. She was glad he had enough common sense to not flirt, and she silently sent up a prayer to the Gods before placing her hand on the lever that opened the  _ beast’s _ cage. She swallowed, steeled herself again, and then pushed it down before dashing in front of the cage as the doors opened. 

 

Astrid braced herself for the Dragon to burst forth like a raging monster from Hel, but instead she was met with silence and a seemingly empty cage. Her heart skipped a beat, and she almost turned around to screech that the Night Fury had gotten out  _ somehow _ , but her eyes met the beast’s own forest green ones in a dark corner. The rest of it’s body blended into the shadows.

 

She scoffed, throwing her head, and called, “I know you’re in there, beast. Come out and I’ll think about not killing you right now.”

 

She heard a gasp behind her, from Snotlout most likely, but she didn’t let her eyes stray from the cage. The Night Fury’s form melted out from the shadows as it took one step closer. Then another. One more slow step and Astrid almost laughed, thinking that it would be easy. But then the Dragon burst forth from the cage like fire from its maw, snapping its wings open and shooting over her head. She ducked and whirled around on one heel, grabbing her weapon and holding it out, pointing at the beast.

 

The brown Night Fury for a moment looked… impressed? Astrid shook the thought from her head. It was a  _ Dragon _ , it couldn’t have looked impressed. It was probably a trick of the light. It crouched, flattening it’s front half to the dirt and hissed, lashing it’s powerful tail. It kneaded the ground with its claws, causing gouges to be formed in the dirt.

 

She repositioned the axe in her hand, and she took a step forward, only to stop as the dragon roared, stomping its foot angrily. She didn’t balk, she didn’t back down, but she held her ground as the dragon flared its nostrils.

 

It roared again, and Astrid didn’t realized that it was about to shoot until almost too late. She saw the gas building in the back of its throat and sprung into action. She dove to the side a split second before the dragon shot, and the bolt of fire grazed her arm causing her to hiss in pain, and caught the trailing end of her braid, causing the blonde strands to smolder. She landed in a roll, springing back to her feet, and screamed back, holding her axe above her head.

 

She had luckily landed near an abandoned shield, probably from the last person to be in there, and had snatched it up, and held it in front of her now. The beast had the gall to smirk and raise an eyebrow, before leaping at her, wings spread and claws stretched to maim her. She cursed, throwing her weight to her left. But the beast threw its tail under it, instantly changing direction, and slammed its paw into her back, picking her up and throwing her a couple of feet. She skidded across the ground before tucking into another roll and sprung to her feet again, breathing heavily.

 

Astrid was covered in dust, hair disheveled, and her face heated up in anger as the Dragon landed gracefully on all four feet and turned to give her the smuggest look it could manage. She screamed in outrage, dropping the shield and holding her axe above her head. She charged, and swung the flat part of her axe with all her might, but hit only air, which through her off balance. She stumbled forward a couple of steps before whirling around again to see the Night Fury hovering at the top of the ring. 

 

Its back was to her, and it was looking at something, but she didn’t know what. She dashed over to the forgotten shield and threw it at the Dragon. It hit it square in the temple and it fell a couple of feet in surprise before it turned to her, disgust and hate openly showing in its eyes. It screamed at her and built up a fireblast.

 

She dodged out of the way and was surprised when the spot she had been was untouched. She glanced at the wall and saw it had hit pretty high up, no where near where she was, and she hummed. “I thought you never missed. Maybe my hit did  _ some _ good.”

 

They did this two more times, the dragon aiming for her, her dodging, and the blast never coming close to her, until it ran out of shots. Astrid made a mental note that it seemingly had a 4 shot limit, and got ready to fight, but the Dragon turned and lumbered back into its cage, flopping on the ground with its back to her. She blinked, lowering her weapon, before turning to stare at Snotlout. He looked as confused as she felt, and she sighed.

 

Astrid shut the cage door and left the arena, ready to take a bath and eat.

 

\--

 

Hiccup opened his eyes and turned his head as he heard the footsteps of the Vikings fade into the distance. He sprung to his feet and waggled his tail. He bounded over to the door and pressed his head against it, crying out in joy when it swung open easily. He bounced into the center of the ring and cried, “I’m out! Now I can work on freeing you guys!”

 

He heard a chorus of cheers from the trapped dragons, and he turned towards the Two-Walker’s cage. Her spikes would help him free the others, as he only had two shots left, and he built them up so they were as strong as they could go, before flying up and pulling the chain out of the wall.

 

The Two-Walker pushed her cage door open and almost danced in relief as she could stretch her wings. They then focused their attacks on the doors, with the Two-Walker shooting her spikes and loosening the chains and Hiccup pulling them from the walls.

 

Soon, all the trapped dragons were free and resting, talking about the next phase of their plan. There was rain coming the following day, they could smell it in the air, and they decided that they’d leave the next night. They’d hole up in their cages, pretending to still be trapped, and when the time came, they’d bust open the chains at the top and disappear into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of the chapter!  
> This chapter was a doozy to write, being nearly 3,400 words long! I hope you liked it, though!


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I've been dying because of school work, and trying to get a job, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Not to mention my last copy of this file disappeared, so I had to rewrite the entire chapter, which was not fun.
> 
> But I'm back! With a new chapter! It's unbeta-ed as always! If any of you'd like to be a beta reader, hit me up! I'd appreciate it!
> 
> I hope you like this chapter, and I'm so sorry for the wait!

It was storming, making it almost impossible for anyone to leave their house, and Astrid was no different. She had to be  _ very _ careful when she had left her house, lest she was swept away by the squall coming from the sea. She had to stick near the houses which broke up the wind and made it a little less harsh.

She wasn’t scared. This is what it was like in the summer. At least it wasn’t hailing- yet. Astrid wiped her wet bangs from her eyes and squinted against the lashing rain, gritting her teeth. She saw a couple of vikings dashing towards the Mead Hall, and a couple of others tying up a ship that had come loose.

At any given moment, half of Berk was in the Mead Hall. It was warm, free food, and protection from the elements. Astrid couldn’t blame them. She had the temptation to hide there, too, and she did for a while, slipping in after spending almost an hour in the rain. But, she eventually had to go back out into the storm and brave the weather. She had a job to do as the Chief’s heir, and she couldn’t slack off. 

Her next job was to check the Kill Ring. She had to make sure the ring was still standing, though she doubted anything would be out of place. It had been standing for generations, the one structure that wasn’t constantly rebuilt, and one little storm couldn’t hurt it, right? Astrid decided to bring her axe with her, anyway.  _ Just in case _ , she reasoned,  _ just in case. I won’t need it, but I can never be too safe _ .

Astrid was glad she had her axe. As she neared the Ring, she heard the the sounds of dragons. At first, she didn’t think anything of it. The beasts were probably just agitated from the storm. But as she neared, she realized the noises were too loud, not muffled by the doors like they  _ should _ be. Her grip tightened on the handle of her axe, and her steps grew lighter, more precise. Her breath barely stirred in her chest as she crept over the last hill.

The Kill Ring rose into view, and Astrid silently cursed. The storm had busted the mechanics holding the doors closed-she wasn’t sure  _ how _ it worked, that was Gobber’s job, but she knew when they  _ weren’t _ working- and all the dragons were free to roam the dome. Thankfully the chains were holding fast, and the Dragons weren’t trying to escape-yet. But only the Gods knew how the metal would hold up under the attacks from all the Gods Damned Dragons.

Astrid had two options. Either of which could go very,  _ very _ wrong.

The first was that she could go down there and try to wrangle them back up by herself. It could work, she could possibly just  _ scare _ them with her presence. But the Dragons could get out, could attack her. They could refuse to obey, and ignore her.

The second was that she could go back to the village to get help. More vikings would mean an easier time getting them back. But it could take too long, and by the time they got back, the Dragons could be gone. Or there could be more casualties, if a fight  _ did _ break out.

The blonde girl impatiently tapped her fingers against the hilt of her axe, and she glanced back behind her, towards the village, before she clenched her teeth and marched her way down to the ring.

\---

Okay. Bad idea.  _ Bad _ idea.  _ Very bad and stupid and dangerous idea _ . Astrid dodged another stream of fire, but barely. She sprung to her feet and yelled, “You DAMN beasts! Don’t think you won!” Turning on her heel, she dashed away back towards the village, axe forgotten in the pit of the Ring.

She heard something hit the chains and roar, angrily, before it dropped to the ground again. Astrid shook her head, how could she have thought she could fight  _ that many _ dragons at once. This was really one of her more idiotic moments. Probably on par with the twins-- well. The twins have done stupider. And they wouldn’t have left. At least she had that on them.

Her foot slipped on the wet stone and for a moment she nearly careened off the side of the cliff, but she flung herself backwards and recovered. She held a hand to her chest for barely a moment before she was off again, albeit a bit more carefully. It had stopped raining, but the black clouds still churned unpleasantly, just taunting more rain.

When she saw the village, Astrid gained a new burst of energy, and she picked up speed, sliding around the last turn. She frantically started her search for the chief.  _ He’ll know what to do, _ she thought, as she looked from house to house, searching for his familiar form. When she found him, she had heard him before she saw him.

His booming voice, laughing with some other vikings as they surveyed the damage to the village, cut above the howling wind, and she changed directions and headed straight towards him. Coming to a halt in front of him, shoulders heaving with every breath, she shocked them.

“What’s wrong, lass?” Stoick asked, confusion and fear evident on his face. Astrid caught her breath and told him. Him and the other two men listened in stunned silence, and when she finished, one of them, a darked haired viking, laughed almost disbelievingly.

“Lass, those cages have been there for years. There’s no way they broke.”

Astrid felt her face heat up in anger and embarrassment. How  _ dare _ he think she was lying. “You don’t believe me? Then go down there yourself!” She gestured to a burn on her arm. “You think I did this to myself? Because newsflash, Ufi, I  _ didn’t _ .”

“Astrid, calm down.” Stoick cautioned, hands out. She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. “We’ll take a group and check it out.” He turned to his left, and gave Ufi a withering look. “Go collect 4 people and find Gobber, and tell them to meet me in the square.” Ufi nodded and took off, and Stoick sent the other man off to continue checking damage.

“Now, Astrid, tell me, in detail, what happened.”

 

\--

Hiccup knew when the storm broke. Not only could he smell the difference in the air, it was like the sky had just opened up. Instead of starting gradually, the rain had instantly started pouring down, and he knew that after the storm would be the best time to escape.

He pushed his way through the door, unlatched and unlocked, and stepped out into the enclosed pit, the dust-turned-mud squelching under his paws. He let the rain pour over his brown scales, washing away dirt and grime that felt like it would be caked to him for seasons to come.

He didn’t let his guard down, keeping an ear out for anything out of the ordinary, but other than the rumbling of distant thunder, there was nothing. “It’s safe,” he called behind him. “There are no Vikings who are stupid enough to be out in this weather.”

“Then why are  _ we _ ?” grumped the Flame-Skin as he, too, pushed open the door. The red dragon curled his lip to the sky, giving it a withering look.

“Aw, grow up, Flame-Skin,” the Hum-Wing laughed as she made her entrance. “You’re fine. A little rain never hurt any-dragon.”

“Like Hel it never has,” the Flame-Skin muttered, shaking his head. “We’re useless in the rain.”

The other dragons emerged and shot Hiccup a look. “Shadow-Blender, he’s right! We can’t use our fire in water.”

Hiccup shook his head. “That’s actually wrong.” They all, excluding the Hum-Wing, gave him confused looks, and he explained. “While the Flame-Skin won’t be able to set himself on fire, our fire still works, even when our heads are submerged. As long as we don’t breath in too much water, and waterlog our igniters, we can still make fire.”

“And how do you know this, Shadow-Blender?” The Two-Walker asked, cocking her head and looking very akin to a bird.

He shot her a self-deprecating smile, and said, “trial and error.”

The Little-Biter blinked, and turned to Hiccup, opening his mouth to say something, but Hiccup heard movement behind him. He turned, and saw the head of the girl-Astro? Acid? Something like that- peek over the hill, and he pulled back his lips in a snarl.  _ What is she doing out in this weather? _ He thought, narrowing his eyes.

He turned back to the group, who were talking amongst themselves, and he growled, “We may be leaving ahead of schedule. The female, the yellow-haired one, saw us out. Be prepared for a fight.”

\--

Toothless glanced down at the nest below him. His chosen flare were getting ready, as it was almost time. The storm had broken a while ago, and now the sky was clear. The sunset was dazzling across the water, bright oranges and purples streaked across the sky. But the black dragon couldn’t enjoy it. He was worried for his brother, stuck on that Viking island. 

The sun dipped below the horizon, and he called out, “Flare, to me! We will leave now!” His eyes never left the spot where he knew the island was. He heard the wingbeats of the Flare gather around him, and he glanced briefly at them. Then, he stood, lowering into a crouch and jumped off the ledge, plummeting towards the ocean below.

Mere claw-lengths above the water, he snapped open his wings, threw his tail under him and soared straight upwards into the air. With a roar, they set off towards the island.

\--

Hiccup gripped the chains and snarled, teeth bared, at the Viking female’s back as she retreated, before he dropped back to the ground with a thump. His tail lashing, he spat once more at the direction the girl left, before turning back towards the group. “We’re leaving. Now.”

Something glinting in the weak light caught his attention, and he turned, seeing the Viking’s weapon, abandoned in the middle of the pit. In a fit of uncharacteristic rage, he used his tail to smack the weapon into the wall, cracking the blade and destroying the handle.  _ Maybe Toothless is rubbing off on me. _

\--

There were a lot more than five people here. And apparently, they were all coming. Astrid curled her lip as the twins shoved their way over to her. “Are the dragons really out?” “Did you really mess up that badly?” they both said at the same time.

“ _ Yes _ , they’re out, and  _ no _ I didn’t mess up. I did my job, and I needed help. So I’m here, getting  _ help _ .” She shot them a glare, causing whatever they were going to say to die in their throats, so they turned towards each other and started planning… something. Astrid didn’t know, want to know, nor, frankly, care. As long as it left her alone, they could go scaring sheep again, for the Gods Sakes.

They needed to leave, soon. It was getting dark. She glanced at Stoick, who nodded, and yelled out, “Get moving.”

\--

The sky was once again cover in clouds as they neared the Viking island, and something sat uncomfortably heavy in Toothless’ chest. Something ugly and foreboding, making his scales crawl, making him apprehensive. He shook his head to dislodge the bad thoughts he was having and instead thought,  _ we’re going to get him. He’s going to be okay, and we’ll all get out fine. _

He glanced back at his flare, and stopped, hovering in the air. He took a deep breath, and addressed them. “Do  _ not _ attack. We look first, find them, and get out before we’re seen. Got that?”

They all nodded and voiced their agreements, and he smiled. “Good. Let’s go.”

\--

The chains were glowing bright orange under the combined efforts of the dragons. Hiccup called down, “One more blast should do it!” He closed his eyes as the combined fire hit its mark once more, and when he opened them, the metal was glowing brighter than before.

He unsheathed his teeth, and bit into the soft metal, his teeth sinking into it like he was biting a fish. He used all of his strength, and pulled until he heard a screech, and the chains gave away, opening up a huge hole in the top. “Yes,” he cheered, jumping to the ground. The hole wasn’t large enough to fly out of, bar the Little-Biter, but they could all easily crawl their way through. “Flame-Skin, you’re the largest, you go first.”

Suddenly, he heard panicked voices.  _ Human _ voices. “Oh no,” he whispered, crouching. The Flame-skin was out, and he growled, while the Two-Neck poked their heads out and called down, “They’re almost here!”

\--

Astrid saw a plume of multi-colored fire over the next hill, and a thrill of fear shot through her. She met Snotlout’s eyes, and he nodded, them both having the same thought.  _ The beasts were trying to escape _ . “Hurry up,” She called, speeding up into a run. She skid over the next hill and saw the heads of the Zippleback poking out of the hole, while the Nightmare hovered nearby.

She curled her lip, and turned back silently directing the group to attack. With a yell, they charged the at the dragons, weapons drawn. The Nightmare snarled and instantly set itself on fire. Two more dragons were out, the Zippleback and the Nadder, and the both turned to fight too. Stoick and Astrid both called out, “The Night Fury is mine!” at the same time, and they sent each other a look. Stoick nodded and they both charged into the ring with a couple of other vikings.

\--

Toothless heard the sound of fighting, and he saw the glare of fire in the distance! “There!” He screamed, pumping his wings and dashing towards the battle. He saw a group of vikings surrounding a Hum-Wing, and he shot a bolt of fire at them, basting them apart. The Hum-Wing called, “Thank you!”

Toothless nodded, and swept away, eyes looking for Hiccup.  _ “They called reinforcements, them Damned Beasts!” _ He snarled down at him, “You bet we’re here!”

\--

Hiccup heard the sound of another Shadow-Blender, and he called out “Toothless!” as he dodged another attack from the Viking King. He turned towards them and growled, before leaping up in the air and scrambling out the hole, now that everyone was out.

He shot into the air, looking around for his Brother’s familiar form in the dark night.

He saw Toothless, who met his eyes, and they started towards each other, but Hiccup heard the sound of the same throwing net that caught him. He opened his mouth to warn Toothless, but it slammed into the black dragon’s hide, with a sickening thud.

Hiccup watched in horror as the other Shadow-Blender’s form plummeted to the ground, and he felt his heart break.

“TOOTHLESS!


	6. Chapter 5

Toothless heard his name-not ‘Shadow-Blender’, his  _ name _ , the one  _ Hiccup _ used-called out from somewhere in the night, and he spun in a circle, looking for the source of the noise. His eyes landed on the small body of a brown Shadow-Blender, who had a grin on his face, tongue lolling out. He whispered, “Hiccup,” as he started forward. Suddenly, Hiccup’s delighted expression turned to one of fear, his ear plates lowering and eyes widening.

Toothless heard the noise of the air change, a piercing whistle, but didn’t react quick enough. Something heavy rammed into his side, wrapping itself around his body like a crude, strange snake. He felt the weight pull him down, but when he tried to open his wings to slow his decent, he found them firmly bound against his back. He struggled against his bonds as he fell closer and closer to the ground, the trees growing larger, more imposing. He glanced up at the forms of the other dragons, nervously flying around and calling out, and, as he hit the trees, his eyes met Hiccup’s.

He heard Hiccup’s terrified screech, but didn’t,  _ couldn’t _ , call back.

He closed his eyes as he felt the forest floor rise up to meet him, slamming into the ground with the force of a the Queen crushing a dragon in her jaws. He skid and tumbled, breaking tree limbs, and leaving a huge gouge in the earth in his wake. When he finally came to a stop, he wearily opened his eyes, breathing heavily, but couldn’t move, even if he wanted to. His front legs were pressed against his chest, his wings bent at an uncomfortable angle, and his tail…   
  
It throbbed with every beat of his heart, and a burning sensation was running up the length of it. He tried to strain his head to see what was wrong, but all he could see was bloody dirt. He wasn’t sure if it was from the numerous cuts and abrasions on his body, missing scales, or something else, but the amount of blood was concerning.   
  
He sighed and pressed his head into the dirt, hoping death came to him quickly, or, by some miracle, he got free. Maybe if he rested, he’d have enough strength to break whatever was coiled around his body.

**Chapter 5**

Hiccup’s mind was blank as he watched his other half plummet to the ground. He looked around at the shocked faces of his and Toothless’ flares, and it hit him. Toothless had come to save  _ him _ ! “Toothless!” He cried again, tucking his wings into his body to dive down to where he saw his brother disappear. Suddenly the Flame-Skin from his flare swooped in front of him, causing him to pull up to keep a mid-air collision from happening. 

“Let me go!” he cried, flapping his wings harder than necessary. His mind was spinning, thoughts hurtling around faster than Toothless had fallen. He shook his head to clear it, a growl rising up in his chest. “I have to make sure he’s okay!”

“No. There are still Vikings down there,” the Flame-Skin argued, glancing below him. Hiccup curled his lips, but the Flame-Skin continued. “You’re in charge. You need to lead us, all of us.”

Hiccup shook his head again, muttering, “No. I can’t. I’m leaving you in charge. Get them back safely.” And with that he stopped flapping and let himself drop, down, down, down to the ground. When he got too close, he flared out his wings, slowing his decent so he could land safely onto the earth. His feet touched the dirt and he instantly sprang into the forest, searching for Toothless.

He couldn’t smell anything but smoke and earth, but he knew the scent of dragon permeated this forest on a normal day, so it would be no use, anyway. A buzzing had crept through his head, insistent and annoying, humming somewhere at the back of his skull. Hiccup shook his head to try and chase the buzzing away, but it remained, so he decided to ignore it for now. He had more pressing issues.

As the night wore on with no sign of Toothless, Hiccup grew more agitated, anxiety welling up in his chest. “Some dragons lose a fish or their favorite stone, but not me. I somehow manage to lose an entire  _ Shadow-Blender _ ,” he growled, stamping his feet. In anger, he slapped a branch in front of him with his wing, only for it to snap back into his eye, making him wince and hiss in pain. The buzzing was at its worst now, so overwhelming that it made it hard for him to think.

He glared up at the branch, and noticed the entire tree was cracked in half, the top half bent at an odd angle, with the jagged edge pointed toward him. He looked around and noticed more trees which looked similar, and the ground looked like something heavy skid through it. His back end wiggled as he bound forward, only to slide to a stop as he saw the prone form of Toothless sprawled across the ground.

“Toothless!” He cried, scrambling over to him. Toothless didn’t stir, but when Hiccup placed a gentle paw on his shoulder, he felt the black dragon move. “Oh thank the Moon Goddess, he’s alive.” Toothless’s earplate twitched, and he opened his eye, looking at Hiccup.

“Hiccup!” he hissed, relief heavily weighing on his voice. He tried to move, but moaned and dropped his head, panting.

“Don’t move,” Hiccup cautioned, slipping closer. He sniffed the stuff binding Toothless, and realized it was a different material than the chains. He grabbed it in his teeth, and it snapped easily in half. He started breaking the binds oblivious to anything else. 

Toothless stirred and started growling, and Hiccup stiffened, sensing something behind him. He bit through the last rope in his jaws, and flattened himself to the ground as Toothless lept over him and onto something else. They landed on the ground with a thud, and Hiccup looked up, earplates standing fully up and saw his brother on top of someone, a rumbling snarl coming from his throat. The buzzing was gone.

—

She could see the black Night Fury falling, caught up in a bola. Astrid twirled her axe in her hand before she smashed it into the head of the Nadder in front of her, causing it to squawk in pain and take off into the sky. She shook her head slightly to shift her bangs from her eyes before she leapt into action, charging towards the forest. She wove and dodged through the mass of fighting vikings and dragons, lending in a quick hand whenever she could.

“Where are you going, Lass?” She heard Stoick call over the noise.

“One of the Night Furies fell into the forest! I’m going to check it out,” she yelled back.

Stoick shook his head, graying beard smouldering. “Bring someone with you!”   
  
“No time!” With that Astrid ran a little faster, nearing the forest. She heard roaring above her and glanced up, weapon at the ready, but saw the other Night Fury…  _ yelling _ at a Monstrous Nightmare. In front of her eyes, the brown Night Fury dropped, disappearing into the tops of the trees.

Astrid slowed to a jog as the trees reared up over her, dark and ominous. A purple fire was cracking behind her, burning even in the rain, causing the shadows to shift and dance like demonic beings, taunting her. The damned Dragon-Fire proved useful Astrid crafted a makeshift torch out of a branch and the fire, holding it in her open hand. She gripped her axe tighter, took a deep breath, and stepped into the forest. The damp, ashy air enveloped her, muffling the sounds of the fighting behind her, and leaving an acidic taste on her tongue. The rain barely reached her, just  _ pat pat patting _ through the leaves. She moved swiftly and silently, feet ghosting over the ground, which was easy since the undergrowth was wet and springy. The further in she got, the more the darkness crept in on her, and she lifted the torch a little higher, illuminating the area the best she could.

A trail of footprints appeared in the mud ahead of her, clearly that of a dragon, and Astrid decided that was her best bet for finding the downed Night Fury. A short thrill of terror shot through her as she thought,  _ what if the dragon somehow got out? _ But the thought, and fear, quickly faded as she rationalized that nothing, not even a  _ dragon _ could survive that fall unharmed. Hopefully she got to it before the other dragons did.   
  
She followed the footprints, keeping an eye out for anything waiting to leap out at her, but the forest was silent apart from the rustling of the leaves and her own, too loud breathing. Astrid kept moving, until she came upon a  _ huge _ gouge in the earth, like the Gods had scooped up a handful of it. She lowered into a fighting stance, legs spread apart and core tight, creeping forward, axe brandished out in front of her.   
  
_ Gods Damnit _ , she cursed silently, seeing the brown Night Fury hunched above the other one. It seemed like they were talking, and hadn’t noticed her, yet. Perfect. She took another step forward, but the black dragon’s one visible eye flew towards her, causing her to freeze. The sound of rope snapping caused her heart to skip a beat, and she stumbled backwards a couple of steps, and the dragon  _ leapt _ at her, claws outstretched and teeth  _ bared _ . It slammed her into the boulder, knocking her axe one way and causing the torch to hit the ground and go out. With the meager light that she had had gone, everything but the glowing of the dragons’ eyes became pitch black.

This is how she died, Astrid decided, ceasing all movement. The Night Fury was growling, claws digging into the armor on her shoulders, saliva dripping from its jaws. She could feel its breath blowing across her face as it huffed at her, digging its claws in deeper. She swallowed, closing her eyes and looking away. She couldn’t look into the dragon’s eyes anymore, what she saw there was too  _ human _ .

She heard the other Night Fury rise, heard its footsteps as it approached. The growling from the one on top of her never ceased, but this one wasn’t growling. It approached cautiously, unlike how it had the other day, and brought its muzzle close. She felt its nose bump against her temple, and she stiffened. It was going to bite her head off-

It started to sniff her, with loud gwaffs, its breath causing her bangs to shift rapidly. The weight on top of her shifted backwards, and she opened her eyes in confusion. Her eyes had adjusted somewhat, and the Night Fury on top of her was giving the other one a look that mirrored her own. The Brown Night Fury blinked at the both of them and grumbled something, causing the one sitting on her to roll its eyes. Astrid’s eyebrows were furrowed in utter confusion as the Night Fury on top of her got off and headbutted the other one away from her, grumbling something back. They glanced at her, the black Night Fury’s face contorted in disgust and the other one in curiosity, before they went back to… talking?

Astrid glanced at her axe. It was within reach, if she sprinted to it, but it seemed like the black Night Fury read her thoughts because it brought a heavy paw down on the weapon and knocked it away with a huff. The Brown Night Fury was speaking rapidly in growls and huffs and what sounded almost like purrs and chirps. Huh. Astrid thought they only roared and growled. The occasional squawk from Nadders. Who knew they had such a range of vocalizations.

She sat up and rubbed her sore shoulders. While the claws hadn’t pierced her armor, the pressure alone was sure to leave bruises mottled across her chest and upper back. Astrid groaned as she looked around. The dragons didn’t spare her a glance as she picked up the muddy stick she had been using as a torch. There was no way this was being relit, even if she  _ had _ fire to relight it with. With a sigh, she heaved herself to her feet.

She sent a wary glance at the dragons and saw them watching her every movement. They didn’t attack her, didn’t move towards her with any malicious intent, lust watched her with the same curiosity and wariness as she. Astrid narrowed her eyes slightly, tilting her head as she thought. The dragons mimicked her movement, looking almost like large, scaly cats. Was…

Was everything they knew about dragons  _ wrong _ ? Were they just trying to survive like the vikings were? Were they  _ not _ mindless killing machines, hellbent on wiping out humanity?  _ What were dragons _ ?  _ Did they even have to keep killing each other? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, within two months? Who am I? :0c
> 
> Ignore any mistakes, this was written within like, a month span (the beginning was being written right after I posted the last chapter, and finished literally today, and I'm lazy.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! I've had this idea, or something quite close to it, in my head for a while now, since the second movie came out. I've been wanting to do something with it, and now I finally am!
> 
> Kudos and Comments are ALWAYS appreciated!


End file.
